My pick of the year has only just been discovered. It's by Dove Ellis and it's called Blizzard. It came to me through my headphones after I fell asleep to my “gentle” collection of songs. I know nothing of Dove, apart from his Galway roots and the fact that he self-produced the record. The first song, “Little Left Hope,” instantly got me, the harmonies and the unpredictability of the next chord.
There are some gorgeous lyrics peeping out the whole album. “The night has many fingers,” in particular. Or this:
“You were named like pastures
Fields with little stone walls
Little stone eyes
Eyes that watch the angles
Squares and green, and squares and green”
It's weird, it's messy, it crumbles like bread. It's joyful with a lot of pain. Excited for Dove.
Billie’s Dog Eared is out now on Fiction Records.
